Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Dull Day Brightener

"Exactly half way through the week", I thought to myself at 1:00 this afternoon, though not with any sense of victory of excitement. I was debating lunch options... Subway again? That's when my phone rang and a brief escape from the doldrums began. I planned to pick Katie up from the Bookstore on West 25th at 2:00, when we'd head across the Lorain/Carnegie Bridge and over to Juniper Grille. The gray was descending on the buildings downtown, and from my office on the 13th floor, nothing was visible but low lying clouds.

As we ventured inside of the sparse but modern eatery, we were promptly greeted and given a choice of tables. Opting for the street scene, we picked one close to the Superior Avenue windows. Other than the (seemingly achieved by space heater alone) temperature of the place, it was quaint, clean, and unobtrusive: the perfect place for lunch. The menu did nothing to disappoint. Katie chose the Salmon Wrap with Sweet Potato Fries while I couldn't resist the temptations of the Pulled BBQ/ Macaroni & Cheese with white cheddar sauce.

Our conversation livened up the dreary day and as the pouring rain outside swiftly morphed into big heavy flakes of snow, we planned for our big adventures this summer (and beyond). We were politely interrupted by our plates; mine bearing a good sized portion of "elbow macaroni" saturated in a light sauce, with a centerpiece of sweet pulled barbecue pork just waiting to be mixed. Topped with four of the lightest and most delectable onion rings I've ever had, this wasn't lunch (ho hum...) this was Lunch (oh yeah...). Katie's sweet potato fries were delicious in their thickness, consistency and flavor, while her salmon roll was both fresh and hearty.

The lunch hour drew to a close We paid our reasonable tab and ventured back out into the weather, the snow plunking off of our styrofoam take-out boxes reminding us that spring, though on the way, is not here yet. It's nice to remember that even a little adventure can change the outlook of a day...